CM Patel launches regional version of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit with focus on districts

Ahmedabad, Aug 28 (PTI) Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday launched a regional version of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit with a focus on highlighting the strengths of each region to promote local products at international, national levels and also seek investment in districts.

'Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference' will help attract investment in districts which have a favourable ecosystem for select industrial sectors, he maintained.

Japan has agreed to be a partner country for the first regional conference to be held in Mehsana, said a senior bureaucrat.

These conferences will be held in four different regions or zones, starting from October, and have been designed on the lines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS), first launched in 2003 by then-Chief Minister and now PM Narendra Modi, said Patel.

"Gujarat remained stagnant for a significant period due to lack of electricity, water and proper road connectivity. It was Prime Minister Modi who turned Gujarat into a growth engine of the country with his vision in just two-and-a-half decades (first as CM and then as PM)," he noted in his address at the launch of the regional conference here.

Thanks to the global investment summit started by Modi 22 years ago, Gujarat has become a much sought after destination for numerous industrial houses, Patel emphasised.

The VGGS, which has so far completed 10 editions, helped Gujarat in create a large number of employment opportunities and attracting foreign direct investment, the CM insisted.

Along with 'Vocal for Local' campaign, the PM has urged everyone to also focus on the concept of 'Local for Global' by taking domestic products to the world markets and creating a brand identity for Indian goods, affirmed Patel.

"To realise PM's vision of promoting local products on the global scale, the state government is coming up with this unique initiative of Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference. This conference will be held in four different regions of Gujarat," declared the CM.

Every district in the state has its own identity and is known for some specific products, Patel said.

While north Gujarat is known for dairy and food processing, Kutch is an established region for salt production, tourism, handicrafts and renewable energy. Key strengths of the Saurashtra region are engineering, fisheries, while south Gujarat is a hub for diamond and textiles products, he explained.

Central Gujarat has emerged as a strategic location for semiconductor, electronics, engineering, financial services and green mobility segments, the CM opined.

"These regional conferences will help attract investment in districts which already have a favourable ecosystem for a particular sector or sectors. The events will prove to be a game changer for the development of districts," said Patel.

According to Industries Commissioner P Swaroop, the 11th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit will be held in 2027. The last summit took place in January 2024.

"Ahead of this main summit to be held in 2027, we will hold four sector-specific regional conferences in different regions during the next one year. First conference for the north region will be held on October 9-10 at Ganpat University campus in Mehsana," said Swaroop in his address.

Later, a regional conference for Kutch-Saurashtra will take place in Rajkot in January 2026, followed by similar events for south and central Gujarat, informed the senior bureaucrat.

"All these conferences will be held as per the vibrant global summit pattern. Each regional event will have an inaugural event, B2B (business-to-business) and B2G (business-to-government) meetings, an exhibition, a trade show, sector-specific seminars and inauguration of major projects. It will also have industrial tours, reverse buyer-seller meet and an award ceremony," he said.

On the lines of VGGS, foreign countries and organisations are invited to be a partner for the regional events, said Swaroop, adding Japan has agreed to be a partner country for the upcoming conference in Mehsana. PTI PJT PD RSY